No airport turkey for these people!
Leo Corteledzi and his family joined a legion of savvy travelers Tuesday, getting a jump on the Thanksgiving getaway just ahead of a winter nor’easter that was set to slam New York Wednesday.
With rain already falling, and a cold mass moving in, Corteledzi said he wasn’t about to spend his holiday feasting on Kennedy Airport cuisine.
So, Corteledzi, 46, an IT specialist who was traveling with his wife and two children, called Delta and got the airline to move their flights up a day to Tuesday.
That was before Delta announced that it was waiving change fees for the holiday weekend for passengers traveling between Washington and Boston.
But Corteledzi and his family were heading to Puerto Rico, so he got hit with a $125 fee for each ticket, on top of the $400-per-ticket price.
“It’s worth it,” Corteledzi said as he pushed his bags through an airport scanner. “I was checking the weather reports and they were saying it would be very bad.”
The National Weather Service warned that the storm — packing dangerous wind gusts of up to 60 mph — would disrupt travel plans throughout the Northeast on traditionally the busiest travel day of the year.
“The timing of the storm couldn’t be worse,” said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. “We are seeing numerous threats as the storm is beginning to develop and intensify.”
Vaccaro said heavy rain and high winds would impact travel on the roads and in the air, with delays likely at Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports until late Wednesday.
Flight delays here would also cause a ripple effect at airports elsewhere, forcing delays for departures and arrivals alike.
The fee-waiver policy varied among airlines, several of which said it was too early to tell how many passengers were taking advantage of the offer.
“It’s going to be more hectic tomorrow trying to get out,” said Susan Orekie, 27, who was at JFK Tuesday catching a flight to Florida. “I’m trying to beat the rush.”
The skies will clear by Thanksgiving, but temperatures will plunge into the 20s after midnight and reach only the low 30s for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with strong gusts that could ground popular giant balloons.
Additional reporting by Rebecca Harshbarger, Georgett Roberts and Priscilla DeGregory